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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. fall — the season
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — a gift
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com